Maybe someone has problems with basic skills like understanding what is happening around them because they can’t make sense of the information coming from their senses [touch, taste, smell, seeing, hearing and movement].

They could have problems with;

talking and listening

dressing themselves

looking after themselves

keeping themselves safe

moving around e.g. walking, running, throwing and catching etc.

learning and remembering new things

thinking and working things out

controlling their feelings and emotions

learning how to act around other people

The greater the disability the harder it is for a person to learn and grow up to be independent of others.

Health professionals may say that someone has ‘developmental delay’ if he or she is slow at learning under the age of 5, compared to others of that age.

A team of people including doctors, occupational therapists, speech therapists psychologists and teachers can arrange for a child to have assessments if the child is having difficulties learning the range of skills needed to live and work in the community.

If a child is assessed as having an intellectual disability then there are different kinds of support when it is needed for the child and the family when the person is at different ages and stages of their life.

This could be help with schooling, transport, carers and later on maybe a special house where people can live independently from their family with support from carers.

All of these tests can be done and doctors and other professionals can work out what might help the child, but it is really important that everyone works out what a child can do, not only what they have trouble doing. People need to find out how each child can live and learn - not the test result.

A child who is slower to learn some things will still be learning all the time.

A child who is slower to learn some things will need to play with other children, be a friend and have friends, have fun and do the things that other children are doing at school and at home.

A child who is slower to learn some things is a person who has feelings and opinions and lots of abilities too.

You can learn a lot from a child who is slower to learn some things than you may be. And you may find out that you have a happy and loyal friend too.

Parents or carers will become the experts and the people who stand up for the rights of someone who has an intellectual disability.

They will need to find out about the disability and how it affects their child.

They will need to learn how they can help the child.

They will need to find out where to get the kind of support they need for the child and for themselves.

They will need to work with the school to make sure that their child gets the best experience possible at school

They will need to help and support others in the family, especially brothers and sisters of the child with the disability.

All of this can be very tiring. But mostly parents love their child and enjoy being with their child.

Other children in the family may have mixed up feelings about their sibling. They may have to be carers for their sibling at times and they may be able to protect their sibling if there is trouble with other kids at school. Have a look at the topic ‘Having a disabled child in the family’.

At one time kids with intellectual disabilities would all go to special schools with other kids who also had various disabilities.

In the ‘olden days’ many kids would be sent to live in special ‘homes’, where they were separated from their families.

Now most children go to regular schools and live at home with their families. They may be in a special class with a specialist teacher or have a special carer who helps them in a regular class. If you have kids in your school who have an intellectual disability then

None of us can choose which family to be born into, where to be born, or what physical or mental problems we may be born with or have during our lives. But all of us can work to become the best we can be if we try hard ourselves and help others to try too.

Many health professionals and staff in schools can work with a child with a disability and his or her family to make sure that they can get the help they need.

We've provided this information to help you to understand important things about staying healthy and happy. However, if you feel sick or unhappy, it is important to tell your mum or dad, a teacher or another grown-up.